


Let's be glad

by Lullabylily



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Children, Christmas, Dress Up, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Office Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-02-28 20:29:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2745947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lullabylily/pseuds/Lullabylily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is forced to play Santa at his company's Christmas party...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let's be glad

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vix_spes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/gifts).



> Happy holidays, vix_spes! I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Big thank you to my beta, L.
> 
> Minor warning for minor character death (past, canon-compliant) and dealing with death.

Let’s be glad

Arthur would say he was quite content, with work and life in general. He would say he had a good sense of humour, enjoyed the company of a large group of friends and co-workers. He enjoyed good food and wine. He was quite ordinary in all of that. 

So it made no sense to anyone when, if the weather started to get chilly and pumpkin spice became all the rage, Arthur was already growing more and more irritated. It all went downhill from there. Until the New Year got started and things turned back to normal.

His friends called Arthur’s phase the “Christmas withdrawal”. 

xxx

“I still don’t understand why _I_ have to do it.” Arthur heard himself say for the umpteenth time.

His father barely acknowledged this with a small frown. “It’s only for a few hours. I really don’t understand what the fuss is about.”

“Find someone else to do it!”

“I asked Leon, but he’s bringing Morgan. We can’t have the little boy recognize him.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. As if _he_ would ever be able to entertain Mordred. The little demon.

“There’s only about a hundred or so other employees you could have asked.” Arthur retorted instead.

“We called out for volunteers in the company newsletter but we didn’t get any response.”

What a surprise, Arthur thought. He doubted any of Camelot’s employees would voluntarily sign up for some parading in front of colleagues in a fluffy red suit with a hat and a fake beard. 

“It’s for a good cause, Arthur. These Christmas parties are all everyone talks about. As future CEO, you can make a nice gesture, show them you care.”

And that was that. There was no way Arthur could protest now. Not when his reputation as a good leader was at stake.

xxx

That was only the beginning of what Arthur liked to call “the Christmas madness”. Soon the Christmas lights would be lit all around London, every year the decorations got more extravagant. Christmas music was already blaring on the radio when he took a cab. 

“God, not you too!” Arthur exclaimed when he found Merlin decorating a miniature Christmas tree in his office. 

Merlin looked up sheepishly. 

“I don’t want it, please take it somewhere else.”

Of course Merlin had to look wounded at that. “But Arthur, it’s only a few weeks until Christmas…”

“I just don’t like it.”

“What? You don’t like Christmas?” Merlin said, disbelieving laughter in his voice. 

“Worst holiday of the year. Just make sure it’s gone by the time I get back from the meeting.” He probably shouldn’t have slammed the door as hard as he did. It wasn’t Merlin’s fault he was in a foul mood. 

xxx

"You can decorate if you really want to." Arthur started with a peace offering when he returned a few hours later.

"It's your office..." Merlin shrugged.

Arthur had known Merlin would be sulking. Really, the man took every one of his outbursts so bloody personal! 

"It is. And I didn't exaggerate when I told you I don't like Christmas."

"How can you not like Christmas? Seriously. There are gifts and lights and plastic decorations in absurd colours," Merlin started, "oh and eggnog, Christmas cake, Turkey... There is no bad to this. Even _you_ can’t be that stuck up to be crabby when everyone else is celebrating."

That was exactly how it had been and how it would be in the future if Arthur had any say in it. But looking at Merlin and remembering his father's words earlier, he really didn't have a say. Not this year.

"I was in a bad mood," Arthur wasn't about to get into the real argument, "father informed me that I have to dress up as Santa for the company Christmas party."

“ _You’re_ going to be Santa?" Merlin exclaimed. "Brilliant!"

"Brilliant? I have to wear a ridiculous outfit while having little children cry and pee on me!"

Merlin laughed. "But you'll be their hero. You'll make their day!"

xxx

"I’ve just picked up your costumes,” Morgana almost sang entering his office a couple of days later. “Arthur, you’ll look _fabulous_.”

It was frankly even worse than Arthur had imagined. What had he done to deserve a silly costume _and_ a beard _and_ a hat and, worst of all, padding to make him look fat!

“I told them you were chubby enough to pull off an old fat man _without_ any padding.” Morgana said.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Arthur retorted. Then he noticed Morgana had another plastic bag with her. “Who’s that for?” 

“Merlin of course, he’s going to be the best little Santa elf we’ve had in years,” Morgana said, beaming with pride.

Merlin’s cheeks flushed, “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, echoing Arthur. 

“ _You’re_ going to be an elf?” Arthur said incredulously. “Please tell me his outfit includes a ridiculous hat, Morgana.”

Morgana smiled deviously, “Of course it does. He will look _adorable_ ”

Merlin groaned. “You’re evil. Both of you.” 

Arthur simply smirked. Suddenly he felt a lot better about that Christmas party. 

 

xxx

Regardless how he felt about the Christmas party, Arthur still grew more and more weary as the days grew shorter and colder. The Friday marked in black in his calendar got closer and closer. He wasn’t sure why he still marked it so clearly; it wasn’t as if he’d accidentally forget the day his mother died. 

Merlin would notice that his temper had gotten short. Arthur hated that his own emotional constipation was making Merlin withdraw. Sometimes he noticed Merlin talking in hushed tones with Gwaine or, heaven forbid, Morgana. He hoped Merlin wouldn’t be talking to HR anytime soon. He wasn’t one to come out and say it, but he’d grown fond of Merlin the past six months he’d been around.

On Thursday Uther dismissed Arthur from a business meeting halfway through negotiations. Arthur returned to his office miserable as ever.

“I’ve… cancelled all your meetings for tomorrow.” Merlin said slowly.

“What?!” 

“I think you should take a day off.”

“Why?” Arthur asked, hoping he sounded harsh instead of bitter, like the taste in his mouth.

“You know why.” Merlin said simply and turned back to face the computer. 

He should feel furious about Merlin changing his schedule without his permission. Or about Merlin basically ordering him to take day off. He only felt drained all of the sudden; he didn’t have the energy to fight anyone on this. Least of all Merlin.

xxx

Taking the day off was just as hard or possibly even harder than going to work. He had time to think, think about what he remembered and what he did not remember, which was more painful. 

But it felt good to have the day devoted to her. Even if Arthur needed several whiskeys to get through the day.

 

xxx

“He’ll be there. He’s too noble and brave to chicken out of something he promised to do.” Even through the door Arthur could hear Merlin’s earnest expression.

“You know Merlin, you think too highly of my brother. He can also be very petulant and overbearing.”

“Overbearing, are you sure you know what that means, Morgana?” Arthur said as he walked into the room. 

Morgana rolled her eyes at him but he watched Merlin’s eyes light up. “You made it!”

“Of course I made it. I’ll just get dressed then. Let’s entertain some kids!” He said, sounding cheerful enough, even though Merlin eyed him suspiciously. 

“Be nice to Morgan,” Morgana said warningly before she left. “And if he asks for a puppy again, tell him he’s too young to have one” she continued. 

Arthur nodded even though he didn’t intend to do anything of the sort. 

“I still can’t believe she named her son Morgan.” Merlin said. 

“That’s Morgana in a nutshell. She complained about men always naming their sons after themselves, and why couldn’t a woman do the same. Morgan Mordred Pendragon. Poor kid.”

“Poor Leon!” Merlin added.

“Well, I’m sure he knew beforehand what he was getting himself into.”

"How are you doing?" Merlin asked carefully.

"I'm fine."

Merlin didn't look convinced. Arthur didn't know how to deal with being worried about like that. 

"It was good to take the day off yesterday," Arthur continued. "But I'm ready to go and play Santa now."

Merlin smiled one of his big, goofy smiles.

Arthur found his costume, a heap of red polyester on a hanger in the corner of the room. He unbuckled his trousers, dropping them, when he noticed Merlin was still fully clothed. 

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?”

Arthur was sure he wasn’t imagining things when he noticed Merlin’s gaze had strayed towards his crotch for a second.

“I wasn’t going to do this if you didn’t show up.”

“Oh Merlin you big girl, get changed already.”

While Arthur was adjusting his itchy beard, it was his time to shamelessly ogle Merlin as he was trying to squeeze into the green tights. Arthur had known Merlin was skinny, but his legs looked surprisingly lean and muscled. 

The tights weren’t even the best part of Merlin’s outfit. Just as Arthur had hoped, there was a perfectly ridiculous hat that went with it. It had bells. 

After they had sufficiently assured each other that they both looked equally ridiculous they made it to the children’s party room to get set up. Merlin got the gifts organized while Arthur inspected his throne.

“I’ve always known I was royalty.” He told Merlin, “Nobody told me I would get a _throne_.”

“Oh get over it, you power-obsessed bastard.” Merlin shouted from behind a pile of stuffed animals.

“Language, Merlin, the kids are going to be here soon.”

xxx

When the children arrived and assembled in the party hall, Arthur couldn’t help but be surprised how many there were. He knew a lot of his employees but never realized so many of them had little children at home. Leon and Morgana had a child of their own, and he knew Gwen and Lancelot were trying to get pregnant. 

While the parents were having a drink at the bar, Gwaine and Percival were responsible of looking after the group. This, of course, meant mayhem. The screaming, shouting and crying was exactly why Arthur had avoided attending any of these events in the past. But being the centre of attention this time wasn’t as terrible as he’d expected.

It might also have had something to do with the perfect view he had of Merlin’s tight-clad buttocks, each time he was bending over to grab a present. No time for his eyes to linger for very long though, with a rapid succession of children vying for his attention. Most of the little ones were quite terrified of him, some would even start crying. But then they would be in awe of the little bells jingling from Merlin’s hat as Merlin smiled and made funny faces at them.

“What do you want for Christmas, Morgan?” Arthur asked to the uncharacteristically shy three-year-old sitting on his lap. 

Morgan looked pensively before raising his little hand and counting his fingers: “Mummy, daddy, me, baby sister?” With a little hopeful smile he looked up at Arthur. 

How on earth was Arthur going to tell Morgana that her son didn’t want a puppy but a sibling? 

He didn’t really have an answer to that, so instead he went “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas little man,” and hoped Merlin would present him with a nice gift to take Morgan’s mind off of any potential family expansion.

Lancelot was on photo duty. Arthur wondered if it wasn’t painful for him, to be confronted with something he and Gwen wanted but hadn’t been blessed with yet. It made him realize that he wasn’t the only to whom Christmas came with a mixed bag of emotions. 

Lancelot did end up taking quite a few interesting photographs. He captured the moment that Elena’s daughter managed to pull his beard over his chin or the moment a little baby boy spat al over Arthur. The big, slightly evil smile on Lancelot’s face told Arthur that these photographs would find their way onto company’s intranet before Arthur could do anything about it. 

When the children had finished getting their picture taken, collecting their gifts and eating their pancakes, it was time for the parents to take them home. Tables got proper tablecloths and candles and the party hall was refurnished into a fancy venue for a classy evening party. 

“Where are Gwaine and Percival?” Arthur asked, after putting away the last of the empty boxes. The absence of Percival being instantly obvious when he scanned the room. 

“Maybe being surrounded by kids the entire afternoon made them want to _play house_ somewhere a little more private.” Morgana’s eyebrows went up and down suggestively. 

“I regret I ever asked,” Arthur replied dryly. 

“Why are you and Merlin still in your costumes? I thought you would have bolted the minute the kids left.”

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Arthur said vaguely. He couldn’t really answer truthfully, that he enjoyed watching Merlin’s formfitting outfit.

They would get changed eventually; the dinner party was black tie after all.

xxx

“So I’m going to be forward,” Merlin started, when they both got back to the changing room, “and say you’ve been watching me all day.” He sounded smug.

“I… Didn’t mean to offend you,” Arthur started, suddenly very aware as to how close to him Merlin was standing.

“I’ll only be offended if you deny it,” Merlin continued. Arthur wasn’t used to Merlin being so confident. 

“I admit those tights kept me distracted.”

“You like them?”

“I like how they leave nothing to the imagination.”

Merlin was practically breathing onto him now. “They are probably a size or two too small. I could use some help getting out of them."

It should have been awkward to have Merlin openly proposition him like that. But it felt right. They had been tiptoeing around each other for months. This was their moment to grasp. 

“What if someone walks in?” Arthur couldn’t keep the smile from his face.

“We’ll go hide behind the clothes rack.” Merlin grabbed Arthur’s hand and dragged him to the far corner of the room. 

“You’re an habitué at making out in cloakrooms?” Arthur asked as they nearly tumbled onto the floor next to a pile of clothes hangers.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Merlin silenced any comebacks with a kiss. 

Arthur broke the kiss with a laugh. 

“What?” Merlin looked affronted, even hurt. 

Arthur gave him a peck on the lips, and then reached out for the pointy hat that was still resting on Merlin’s head. It jingled loudly when Arthur tossed it aside, cupping Merlin’s cheek and returning to thoroughly kiss him.

He reached out to finally cup Merlin’s buttocks, squeezing them and making Merlin moan. It was time to get a little payback in, for his PA’s earlier impertinence. 

xxx

Merlin looked incredible naked, Arthur had just found out. So it was clearly unfair that he also looked divine in a dress shirt and dinner suit.

He was buttoning his collar when he suddenly yelped, “Arthur, it’s huge.”

“It really was, wasn’t it.” Arthur said smugly, earning him a hard smack. 

“You prat, what are you, a vampire? Look at that bruise?”

Merlin pointed to the love bite on his neck. 

Arthur came closer to inspect his handiwork. “Yes, that’s mine alright. Not to worry, your bow tie will cover it up.”

Merlin sighed. “You’re an ass.”

“But you love me anyway,” Arthur retorted, before he could think twice about what he said.

For a second Merlin remained speechless. But then he rolled his eyes and smiled, looking up at Arthur, “Probably.”

xxx

Playing Santa’s little helper was only the start of a string of ridiculous outfits for Merlin. He became infamous for his numerous neckerchiefs. It was mostly blamed on an odd sense of fashion. And if a rumour got out that it was to cover the CEO’s love bites? Well, who believed Morgana anyway?


End file.
